Liberty Walks

My mantra these days:

This is not who we are.

Words spoken in grief, outrage, confusion... And, increasingly: words spoken in faith.

We are walking across America as an act of faith in “We the People.”

I worked the Covid wards as an interfaith chaplain throughout the pandemic. I counseled Covid deniers, dedicated first responders, vaxxers and anti-vaxxers. I saw heartbreak. Anger. Fear. Impossible acts of bravery and love.

In other words, I met all walks of life. And while arguments remained as contentious as ever, even in the Covid wards – nonetheless I learned firsthand the fundamental truth of connection. Empathy works. We all experience loss. We all struggle to say goodbye.

We all, ultimately, need each other.

My parents were German Jewish refugees. They arrived in New York Harbor in the 1930s: little kids among Lady Liberty’s “huddled masses.” Many refugees (including relatives of mine) did not make it to these shores. I grew up knowing what a gift this country is. I grew up in love with this land. I’ve always known that I would throw my whole body, heart and soul into the fray, to uphold the promise of America.

That’s why I founded Liberty Walks: an American pilgrimage.

Liberty Walks is a brand-new grassroots nonprofit, promoting civic-minded connection step by step and state by state, across America. We’re nonpartisan and nonsectarian. As we walk across America, we hope to spark community and a new collective vision for the commonweal.

Quiet acts of pilgrimage – embodied acts of faith – have moved humans and their societies forward for thousands of years. There’s a quiet wisdom in these ancient ways.

We’re trying to cut through the noise with something simple and straightforward: slowing communication down, getting out onto the land, and meeting our neighbors.

Liberty Walks is:

· An American pilgrimage.

· An act of faith in the American experiment.

· An epic trek: 2800 miles, 150 hometowns, 6.3 million steps.

· Departing the Fourth of July from Eugene, Oregon - destined for Washington, D.C.

There’s overwhelming need around the country right now. There are countless ways to contribute and to speak up. Supporting a cross-country pilgrimage may not tick the obvious boxes.

But unless we find new ways to build solidarity, to kindle empathy and moral courage, other forms of action and engagement may never gain traction.

We need $50,000 to finance this journey. Roughly $18 a mile. That figure covers all our base costs, from financing and maintaining our Liberty Runner (the RV that will serve as our support vehicle throughout the trip) to covering communications, supplies and fees. The first $10,000 will get us out of Oregon – an additional $5000 will get us to Wyoming.

We have a core team of four (our bios are here) and a volunteer list of 80, including 40 folks who plan to join the trek, most walking just a few days – some walking a couple of weeks or more.

Walk with us. And/or join our efforts as one of our Trail Angels, sponsoring our collective road ahead.

· Be a Trail Angel: $180 (sponsors 10 miles)

· Be a Silver Trail Angel: $360 (sponsors 20 miles)

· Be a Gold Trail Angel: $900 (sponsors 50 miles)

· Be a Platinum Trail Angel: $1800 (sponsors 100 miles)

To sign up as a Walker or Driver: https://bit.ly/signup2walk

Let's walk together! xo Esty